LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - An increasing number of dog owners in Laramie are refusing to keep their pets on a leash. City animal control officers there say they're stepping up enforcement of the city's dog-at-large ordinance.

The city ordinance requires owners to keep dogs and any other animals to be on a leash less than 10 feet long when they're in any city park, school property, on the University of Wyoming campus or in the downtown business district.

Rene Sollars is an animal control officer in Laramie. She says officers commonly encounter

pet owners in city parks carrying a leash while their dog runs loose.

Animal control officers may only warn people about the leash ordinance. But Sollars said that if the person is a known repeat-offender, they will be issued a citation that can carry a $40 fine.